AboutMongo Expertise I can answer most basic questions concerning predator trapping and some water trapping. Questions about lures, baits, sets, traps, trap treatment, modification, sizes, equipment, usage, etc. I have been certified by the Okla. Dept. of Wildlife Conservation, First Okla. Trapper`s Assoc., and the Okla. State Univ. Extension Service as a trapping instructor, and in years past have given classes to people wishing to learn the sport...I also have a number of years experience in predator calling and can provide some basic answers to these questions as well.
Experience
Past/Present clients As far as teaching what I know to others. I take this to be what you mean here... I have helped my son, and son in law, as well as a number of others in this area, to get started in trapping and predator calling... I have had personal instruction from professional government ADC specialists, and I have 30 years experience running my own traplines, and over a half century of experience in the outdoors...... I have a friend who is a troop leader with the Boy Scouts. In the past I have done several demonstrations on trapping and predator calling for the boys, and on a number of occasions have helped the troop to set up and run a trapline during the winter, with proceeds going to the troop.
Question What bait should i use to trap fox and and bobcats and where should i put it. I have a 42 by 14 by 14 cage trap.
Answer Good Morning Spencer,
Well, before I start, let me first say this... Trapping these animals, particularly fox, and especially coyote, with cage traps is not an easy chore. Many professional trappers will not even try to use cage traps for these animals because of how difficult it can be. Now, it can be done, and Animal Damage Control officers sometimes have this as their only option, due to various circumstances. However, it is something that can generally only be accomplished by professionals, or a trapper with a good deal of experience in doing this... Because of the difficulty, that is why the vast majority of trappers use foothold traps or snares for these animals... However, the cage trap works very well for such furbearers as raccoon, possum, and skunk....and the trap you mention, 14X14X42 is an excellent sized trap to use for raccoon, possum, and skunk.
When using a cage trap the bait should be placed to the back of the cage, so the animal must be totally inside before he can reach it... Some baits that work well for most furbearers and are often used in cage traps, are such things as commercially prepared trapping baits, sardines (in oil, NOT hotsauce or mustard), smoked oysters, canned mackerel or salmon, fresh fish, fresh or slightly tainted chunks of beef or venison, congealed bacon grease with the slightly-burnt bacon broken up into it...and some people even use the cheap fishy smelling canned cat food as bait for cage traps... Now these are only a few examples. There are a good many other very good baits that can be used in cage traps as well.
As to where to put it... You will just have to find where the animals are traveling and place it there. The only way to know for sure where to place it is to spend some time "scouting" an area... You can sometimes see tracks or scat on trails thru the woods. And be sure to look along creeks, rivers, streams, in culverts under roads, and around other bodies of water. You can often see tracks or scat there, or scattered or piles of crawfish or mussel shells where coon have been eating... These are all generally good places for your cage trap.
Now, a few "helpful hints" you might want to keep in mind.... Your bait needs to be placed in something such as a small can, so it will not tip over and spill out. Many trappers will take a wire and hang a small can such as a Vienna sausage can from the top of the cage several inches from the back wall, to put the bait in. (You don't want to put it too close to the back wall, sides, or top, because a raccoon will just reach thru the cage and get your bait. You want it so that he has to enter the cage to reach the bait.) Just punch a hole in the empty can close to the top to attach one end of the wire, and wire the other end to the top of the cage trap, so the can hangs down maybe 5 to 6 inches... Your cage trap needs to be "anchored". In other words it needs to have stakes or something holding it down so it can not be moved or tipped over. A coon, for instance, will sometimes move the trap while trying to get the bait, and I have even had them turn cage traps upside down, and roll them over and over, if they were not anchored down......... It usually works best if the cage trap is "camouflaged", such as placing brush, long grass, or leaves over it so that it doesn't "look like a cage", and looks more like an interesting "hole in the brush or grass".... A new cage trap should be placed outside to "weather" for 2 or more weeks, to remove the "new smell" and dull the shininess of it. (I even know of people "washing" the trap in thick, muddy water to weather it and cut down on the shine.)... And also remember that cage traps are highly susceptible to theft, so only use it in areas where there is no chance of someone coming along and stealing it.
